Saturday, October 26, 2024

Session 11: Battle Dome

Cast of Characters
  • Simon Templar, Cleric of Ahki
  • Mick Flynn, Arcane Trickster 
  • Debi Harree, Bard of the College of Lore
the Session
  • We pick up with the PCs still in the mausaleum.
  • The PCs hear still more zombies outside, likely the last three of the Pavel men who had disappeared.
  • Debi leads jumps on top of a sarcophagus and lures the, in with a song.
  • Mick hides just inside the entrance, while Simon readies himself for more battle
  • The zombies enter. Mick gets a sneak attack. The zombies do some damage to the PCs, but manage to kill them, none of the zombies successfully making their undead fortitude saves. 
  • The party leaves the graveyard, returning to the Mayor's office, where they find...
    • Genealogical records of proving that the Mayor was a member of the Longstrider lineage, records of the Pavel family, 100gp the Mayor had essentially ripped of from the people in the neighborhood, and a ledger showing his dirty dealings and crimes.
  • They get a long rest, return the next day and explain to the residents what has been going on, show them the evidence, and tell them where they can find the bodies of everyone. The residents are grateful, telling them that they always have a home and friends in Gravetown.
  • The PCs each get another 50xp for killing the three zombies
  • A week passes. The PCs go about their business
  • Mick, out during the day, sees a caravan heading into Scumtown. It appears to be a troupe of gladiatorial fighters. He follows, seeing something very unusual - an elf with the other fighters. 
  • At the Eye of the Beholder, Simon and Debi see the same thing, meeting up with Mick. They see that the male elf has many fight scars on his upper body.
  • A "barker" is pitching the fights that are to happen that night (Saturday) at Battle Dome, deep in the Scumtown Maze.
  • None of the PCs have been to Battle Dome or into the very confusing area of streets called the Maze. They are aware that prize fighting, with weapons, is popular with all levels society. Nobels will show up dressed "down" trying to be inconspicuous. 
  • They decide to go to Battle Dome that night, to investigate the elf, hoping they might talk to him in the locker room or something. Debi, being an elf, is particularly interested.
  • They go to Battle Dome that night, and find a carnival atmosphere outside and inside. Debi buys a small fancy wooden box from a crone's booth on the vendor deck. Simon looks at weapons. Mick inquires at the betting booth about any elves involved in the games, and finds out the one they saw is known as Lorian the Knife, and is going to fight Schlumpf, an Ogre, as one of the main events. Debi and Mick place bets on Lorian.
  • The PCs observe some warm-up fights. Mick notices Rivas Greel in the crowd
  • Finally, Lorian and Schlumpf enter the fighting arena.
  • The fighting floor is square, 60" per side. There is a 5' wide, 15' deep mote around the space. Participants enter from doors on either side, from which drawbridges lower.  There's not a bad seat in the house. 
  • Schlumpf immediately rushes the elf, attacking with a Great Club, delivering a devastating blow to Lorian. Lorian responds with 2 strikes from his daggers. It is immediately obvious that Lorian is in big trouble. Though a skilled fighter, his weapons are insufficient against the 10' ogre. 
  • Debi stands in the crowd and begins singing an Elvish battle song, bestowing Bardic Inspiration on the elf. 
  • Note: the PCs are playing Lorian, each taking a turns running the elf during combat. 
  • Lorian uses his 2nd wind ability regaining some hit points. Schlumpf pummels him again and again. Debi uses her Dissonant Whispers on the Ogre, drawing no attention as everyone in the place is yelling. 
  • Debi recognizes the two-weapon fighting style used by Lorian as one practiced by her family, and thinks he may be a relative.
  • The Ogre drives Lorian to the floor, possibly dead.
  • Debi jumps across the moat and administers a healing potion to Lorian, reviving him, but finds herself standing in front of the massive Schlumpf.
  • Schlumpf hits her with the Great Club, dropping her to zero HP with one blow.
  • Simon and Mick jump into the battle field. The crowd is going crazy!
  • Mick engages the ogre, doing some damage and taking some. 
  • Lorian is again hit down to zero.
  • Debi has made two successful death saves. Lorian has missed one, made one. 
  • Simon heals Debi back up to 14 hp
  • Mick drags Lorian away from the ogre. 
  • Simon uses his Jump ring to jump himself and Debi back over the mote to safety
  • Simon jumps back in, heals Lorian back to positive HP
  • Schlumpf has taken damage throughout the fight. Mick hits twice, once in the gut, and then a slice to the throat, killing the ogre.
  • The crowd is going ape. Debi is still in the stands with people going nuts for her. Lorian, Simon, and Mick are all conscious down on the floor of the fighting zone
  • Battle Dome is erupting in chaos as we stop until next session!
  • XP: 113 to the PCs and Lorian for defeating the Ogre
We leave them there, in the now chaotic Battle Dome, waiting to see what happens next!

Time elapsed in campaign: 7 weeks, 5 days.

Battle Dome map


Sunday, October 20, 2024

Session 10: the Wight

A quick synopsis.  

The PCs have left the graveyard. 

- Simon casts detect magic on the ring and area, finds no magic

- Party gets long rest. 

- Meets for lunch at the Eye. 

- Return to Gravetown - search the graveyard again - find the Pavel family mauseleum. They go in. It has been desecrated. The Longstrider one is the same.

- They go to the home of Three-teeth and ask her some questions.

- Simon and Debi stay in Gravetown to seek out an archive to research the two families, while Mick goes back to the Eye.

- Simon and Debi find the mad archivist Mr. Stimpleton. He gives them some info on the families, including the locations where the family homes were located.

- They discover that the old location of the Longstrider family is now where the Mayor's office is.

- They follow the Mayor into the graveyard, where they find him meeting with the Wight, Larson Longstrider. Larson attacks them with thrown daggers. Debi blast the wight and the mayor with Thunderwave, which kills the mayor. The wight saves and is injured. 

- The  PCs battle the wight, taking damage before killing him. 

- They find a ring on his finger.

- End of session. PCs still in graveyard.

- PCs each get 500xp for the last 3 sessions of play.